An overview of the questions we typically ask when giving a quote on a production.
An overview of the questions we typically ask when giving a quote on a production.
By Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound ApS
This brief guide gives you an overview of the questions we generally ask to best plan your project and work out a quote.
When we give you a quote on a project, there are some things that are really good for us to know. These allow us to understand the scope and requirements for your project. If there are some questions you can’t answer straight away, don’t worry! These are general questions, and some of them may not apply to your production.
Essentially, just tell us as much as you can about your project and we will work it out together.
First of all, we’d love to know some overall details about your project:
* What kind of project is it?
Basically tell us a bit about your project.
* Where will it be sold/used – and for how long?
Will your product or production be available worldwide, in limited markets/countries only or perhaps only for a limited time? What platforms will your final product be released on? Knowing this helps us better understand the scope of your project.
When it comes to audio, there are some specific things we would like to know:
* What audio do you need for your project?
Refer to the guide ‘Determining your audio needs’ to help you pinpoint exactly what you require for your project. If you are still not sure exactly what your project needs after reading through the guide, let us know some more details about your project and we can help you work it out. We’d like to hear if you know how many tracks, sound effects, voice actors etc you require.
* Do you have any references?
Having reference audio makes it easy to ensure that everyone is working in the same direction. When it comes to music, refer to the guide ‘The relevance of temp tracks’ to help you find out exactly what style(s) you need.
* What about production rights?
Do you want to purchase the audio for general use, or do you only need it for a specific purpose and period? This is only relevant with regard to music and voices, as sound effects and sound design are always sold on a buy-out basis.
For music, sound design and voice acting, these are some specific things that are relevant for us to know:
Music:
• How many tracks do you need – and what are the required track lengths?
• Will there be syncing to picture?
• What sort of usage rights do you need?
Sound design:
• Do you need single sound effects – if so, how many?
• Do you need full soundscapes – if so, what length?
Voice acting:
• What is the number of characters in the script – and what is the approximate number of lines per character?
• What is the total script length?
• Will there be any lip-syncing or sync to picture needed?
• What sort of usage rights do you need?
The questions below help us schedule your product and give you precise delivery dates:
* Do we need material from you?
If we need to work on any material you provide (video, scripts etc), please let us know when it will be available to us. This allows us schedule the project and to coordinate with any external resources that may need to be brought in.
* Any audio-format related things we should be aware of?
Do you need the audio files in special formats? Also tell us if there are certain limitations with regard to file-size, sample-rate, number of channels available etc.
* Are there any milestones, and when is the final deadline?
If you need us to deliver certain elements at specific dates, let us know. Also let us know the final deadline for the audio.
* Anything else we need to know?
If there are any other things you feel would be relevant for us to know about your project, do fill us in.
For specific project enquires, you can contact us by clicking here or by phone on +45 4695 0246.
Asbjoern Andersen is co-founder of Epic Sound ApS, an audio production company that delivers original music, sound design and voice acting for a wide range of media. With his colleagues in Epic Sound ApS, Asbjoern Andersen has provided audio for brands such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Disney, Sky, Fox Kids, Honda, and many more.
